This application concerns a control for vehicle air conditioning assemblies and, specifically, a control assembly for carrying substantial current through metal circuit elements which are mounted in channels formed in the surface of a support or frame member to form a co-planar surface which is subsequently mated in face-to-face contact with another base member whereby heat from current through the circuit elements is readily dissipated into the surrounding base and frame members.
It is desirable to provide an air conditioning control assembly with multiple circuit means or elements therein to carry electrical currents from a terminal side of the control to an opposite switch side of the control. By this means, substantial separate wiring which has previously been used in controls is eliminated. In addition, the use of terminal strips or elements in the control, as opposed to wires, permits heat generated from the current to be dissipated into the plastic support components.
For relative ease of assembly, the control includes a base member which is adapted to support a number of switches to control electrical activity of the air conditioning system. The base member has a substantially flat surface formed thereon. The control further includes a circuit carrying sub-assembly with a frame member of preferably molded plastic material having channels formed therein extending from one side portion to an opposite side portion for the reception of metal circuit strips. Because individual circuit elements would be difficult to arrange and assemble to the frame when in separated form, they are provided instead in a one piece configuration permitted by small interconnecting elements between strips. After the circuit means is in place in the recessed channels of the frame member, connector strips may be removed so as to leave separate circuit elements. To facilitate this, the base and frame have a number of openings therethrough to permit a tool to remove portions of the connectors and, thus, form electrically insulated terminal strips extending in the channels.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved control for vehicle air conditioning, including a base and a frame member and a plurality of electrical current carrying elements or strips supported in good heat transfer relationship in a channelled surface portion of one member, the engaging base and the frame member being matingly engaged together in face-to-face engaging relation with the circuit elements therebetween.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a control for a vehicle air conditioning system in which a surface of a base member and a channeled surface of a framing member are positioned in face-to-face engagement with metal circuit elements extending in the channels and in good heat transfer relation to both members whereby the metal circuit elements located between the members are initially formed as a one piece assembly including side-by-side elongated elements which are interconnected by small connecting portions therebetween and with aperture and access means in the framing member and the base member to permit a tool to remove the connecting strips once the circuit means is in place.
Further objects and advantages of the subject invention will be more readily apparent from a reading of the following detailed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the control assembly is illustrated.